The U.S. military increasingly relies on Close Air Support (CAS) to protect troops on the ground, especially when the troops are in close proximity to enemy forces or civilians. Manned aircrafts are commonly used for CAS operations because pilots or other operators of the aircrafts can accurately determine the locations of desired targets through visual observation and can make ultimate firing decisions. Target location acquisition is often aided by one or more ground observers or “men in the loop” who locate desired targets and communicate target location information and firing suggestions to the operators of the CAS vehicles. Such ground observers also help limit fratricide.
Unfortunately, CAS operations are very dangerous for manned aircrafts due to enemy anti-aircraft weaponry. Armed, unmanned aircrafts are not currently used for CAS operations because the lack of pilots to observe targets and receive instructions and feedback from ground observers makes accurate target identification and location more difficult.
Portable target locator devices for use by ground observers have been developed to alleviate some of the above-described problems. However, most if not all of these devices are designed for use with manned aircraft and therefore require a pilot or other operator to make ultimate targeting and firing decisions.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved portable target locator apparatus and method that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.